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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/27858870">Heavy Hearts and Empty Flasks</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/moonburntmemory/pseuds/moonburntmemory'>moonburntmemory</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>ZKDrabbleDecember2020 [3]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Avatar: The Last Airbender</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Big Brother Sokka (Avatar), F/M, Fluff, Future Fic, Post-Canon, Protective Sokka (Avatar), Sibling Love, Wedding Fluff, Zutara Drabble December 2020, kiyi-katara fluff because i don't see enough of it, sokka gives a wedding toast, that and zuko appreciating his wife, that's the whole story, with cactus juice</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-12-03</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-12-03</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-10 23:14:19</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Teen And Up Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>1,229</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/27858870</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/moonburntmemory/pseuds/moonburntmemory</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>It's Katara and Zuko's wedding night and Sokka is giving a wedding roast- uh, he meant toast.<br/><em>(Totally unrelated to this, his tolerance to cactus juice has seemingly improved!)<em></em></em></p><p>Needless to say, some reminiscing is in order.</p><p>Day 3: Heavy Hearts</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Katara/Zuko (Avatar)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>ZKDrabbleDecember2020 [3]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/series/2037616</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>7</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>90</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Collections:</b></td><td>ZK Drabble December 2020</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>Heavy Hearts and Empty Flasks</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>The collective calls of, “Toast!” rang out across the paper-lantern festooned banquet veranda. A crisp, autumnal Fire Nation breeze drifted through the gathered crowd, gently coaxing the glowing sources of the soft ambiance to sway with the air currents. </p><p>Katara and Zuko, adorned in the fanciful wedding clothes of their respective peoples, leaned into each other’s seats at the head of the room. </p><p>Zuko’s attention was completely captivated by the patterned blue beads woven through his wife’s intricate up-do, some of which fell onto his shoulder where Katara rested her head. Her usual “hair loopies” and practical style had been replaced with a regal ensemble fitting for a Fire Lady. Which she now was. Although Zuko had already considered her as the most powerful politician in his nation, without the title, because the Fire Lord would do anything she said without question. Was that a great ruling strategy? Probably not. But luckily, Katara was competent enough that no problems had arisen yet.</p><p>Zuko drank in the sight of her like he was damned and she was salvation. Which, at one point in their lives, had been somewhat true.</p><p>He could study the plaits and braids holding the beads in place, or the delicate stitching along the hem of her dress, or everything about her for hours. As per Water Tribe traditions, he hadn’t been allowed to see her wedding attire until she walked down the aisle. </p><p>Catching sight of Katara during the ceremony had left him breathless and it seemed the air hadn’t returned to his lungs since. Disbelief that he was her husband and she was his wife made the entire night surreal.</p><p>The kiss cementing the marriage was seared into his soul even deeper than lightning could strike. Zuko firmly believed that on his deathbed he would still be able to recall the sensation of her hands in his hair, her soft lips meeting his with the chaste awareness that everyone was watching, and the jubilant, heart-melting smile she’d given him afterward.</p><p>Lost in the dream that was somehow his reality, Zuko’s attention was called back to the events unfolding in front of him by the screech of a chair against the stone floor and Sokka clearing his throat. </p><p>His new brother-in-law (<em>Wow, that was weird to say. Who would’ve thought Zuko would end up related to Sokka?<em>) </em></em>stood up and fumbled with some scraps of paper containing notes written in abysmal handwriting before abandoning them altogether.</p><p>Sokka threw his broad shoulders back and gave a look that could only be described as devious combined with a flailing fish that had accidentally jumped onto a fishing boat before starting to speak in a ridiculously formal tone. The last time Zuko had checked, they'd invited Sokka to the wedding, not his Wang Fire persona.</p><p>“It is with a <em>heavy heart</em> that I must announce that my baby sister, Katara, is <em>officially</em> off the market.<em> For good.</em>”</p><p>Katara shook her head disapprovingly and leaned into Zuko’s ear to whisper morbid predictions about the mayhem unfolding. The Fire Lord himself merely buried rubbed his temples and braced himself for the inevitable Sokka-esque speech that was about to grace the room.</p><p>“I know, <em>I know</em>,” Sokka assured all of the zero protestors in the room, abandoning his Wang Fire dialect, “it’s a tragedy. The last available member of our <em>smoking hot</em> family has been snatched up. I, myself, took a while to digest the news. What kind of older brother would I be to give Katara’s hand in marriage to the first schmuck that came knocking?” </p><p>Toph wordlessly took a sniff of the opened flask resting haphazardly on the table in front of Sokka and gave a knowing grin. Snickering softly at Sokka’s continued vigor in delivering his speech, she screwed the lid back on the nearly-empty container of cactus derivative and leaned back in her chair to enjoy the show.</p><p>“But the schmuck turned out to be Zuko! My sister married my best buddy! It’s every guy’s dream, but also their worst nightmare. If they don’t work out, my entire social life will implode on itself!” he exclaimed, pounding his fist on the table for emphasis.</p><p>Aang raised his eyebrows at the naming of Zuko as Sokka’s ‘best buddy’, but let out a knowing, “Ohhhhhhh,” when Toph flashed the flask at him. Sokka had practiced the note-card speech on Aang multiple times, and this delightful performance was completely improvised.</p><p>“But, of course, they’ve been together for how long?” Some laughs filled the gardens before being lost to echoes of wind. Suki, Ty Lee, and the other Kyoshi Warriors giggled from their table, knowing that Sokka likely wasn’t joking.</p><p>“Seriously, I stopped counting after the first few <em>disgustingly</em> adorable anniversaries,” he rolled his eyes.</p><p>“At this point, Katara and Zuko breaking up would probably trigger the apocalypse. But it wasn’t always like that. There was a point in time where the idea of them being together was unthinkable! I remember the first time I met Zuko, he tried to barbeque me. Not to mention that spirits-awful ponytail. I still have nightmares about that thing,” Sokka shuddered with a sarcastic smirk. </p><p>Zuko groaned into Katara’s hair at the reminder of his... less stylish hair days. Katara gripped his hand tighter in hers underneath the table, sending a sheepish smile towards where Gran-Gran, Pakku, Hakoda, and Bato sat.</p><p>“And then there was that time he tied Katara to a tree. And wore her necklace as a bracelet for a while, being all angsty like he was. It was a rough time, all around. He <em>also</em> chased us around the entire world,” Sokka said in a wistful voice, letting his reminiscing distract him from his speech. </p><p>Kiyi, climbing into Zuko’s lap after escaping from her parents and Iroh’s supervision, raised her eyebrows at the list of his many...accomplishments. Katara grinned and pulled her new little sister into a hug that evoked feelings Zuko did not have time to unpack while Sokka was revealing state secrets (or so soon into his and Katara’s marriage).  </p><p>“But he’s improved a ton since then! All it took was a good haircut and some character development and he was a pal! There was that time he helped break my dad and girlfriend out of prison. Saved Katara's life a couple times, too."</p><p>At this mention, Katara's hands drifted onto Zuko's chest where his starburst scar was located and rested there contentedly.</p><p>"Oh, and also the whole ‘ending the war and restoring balance to the world’ yada yada. My point is, as questionable as Zuko was at the start, he managed to win all of us over. Hell, he became an honorary member of the family. And now, he’s finally becoming an official member,” Sokka grinned with a sudden sincerity, raising his closed flask high in the air. </p><p>“As crazy as your brother is, I don’t think I’d have his speech any other way,” Zuko whispered lowly into Katara’s ear.</p><p>“Our brother,” she corrected, leaning closer into her husband and beginning to stroke her fingers through Kiyi’s disheveled hair as she sprawled out across both of their laps.</p><p>“So even though I<em> wasn’t </em> consulted about this union before it happened, I approve of it. It's already pretty clear that these two are going to be together forever, make adorable babies, and all that good stuff. <em>To Zuko and Katara</em>!”</p>
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